Suggestions For Rusted track links?

[diesel1]

New JD guy here. I just acquired an early 350 loader. The machine has very low-time track chains but it was sitting outside for several years and the links are rusted tight. I had to have it winched onto a rollback truck to get it here. And then drag it off with my excavator.

I've read that 50/50 acetone/ATF makes an excellent penetrating oil so I plan to mix up a batch and soak the track links. Any suggestions for getting things freed up?

[440 iron popper]

I think i've red a couple times on this board that letting the tracks soak in the water is probably the best trick.

[Lavoy]

Water is far and away is the best thing you will ever use, all else will be for the most part a waste of time and money. Dig a hole, or find a hole with water in it and let them sit.
The other great option is snow, but none of that for a while I hope.
Lavoy

[MattE]

some of that drip irrigation hose works really well for immobile machines.

Just wrap it in three or four loops on top of the track and let it sit for a week or so. keeps it nice and wet.

Not as good as parking in a creek, but when they don't move....

[Lavoy]

Sorry, snow only works if it is drivable.
Lavoy

[diesel1]

First time in my 60 years I've heard of using water on rust but I'll give it a try. The machine is out in the back field, a long ways to run a hose. What if I used a garden sprayer to wet the links every day for a week? Or used my gas-engine pressure washer to possibly speed up the process?

[Lavoy]

Rust is a product of water (moisture), not any petroleum product, aerosol or otherwise, so water is by far the best penetrant for rust you will find.
A power washer can work wonders, especially if you have a narrow degree or zero degree nozzle and can blast right at the end of the bushing. If the tracks on the crawler are new enough to be interlock and/or sealed, it will be tougher, and immersion will be the best. Getting them wet, and keeping them wet, then driving while still soaked is the preferred way. This will gradually work the rust out.
Lavoy

[vestor_guy]

iron, oxygen and water react to form hydrated iron oxide. When hydrated iron oxide dries, it leaves just the reddish yellow iron oxide.

Adding water again will slowly rehydrate the iron oxide if the water can actually come in contact with the iron oxide.


Jim, (a chemistry major)

Just thinking about this a bit but if you sealed the tracks in black plastic and put some water under the plastic, the sun might heat the water enough to produce a high moisture content to speed up the process of total immersion. Some other method might be used to inject steam or you could set up a spray system to keep all of the track chain wet from both sides for several days.

You could also block the crawler up to get the tracks off the ground and use the clutches to attempt to rotate one track chain at a time after they soak a while.

Just using a hand sprayer is not going to work unless you are willing to keep spraying for 24/7 and never let any part of the track chain dry at all.

[Scottyb]

I used blocking to lift a 350 with rusted tracks that have new chains. It was left sitting on a truck for 10 years.+- . I could not get them to move at all. Once up I tried forward-reverse with little luck so I backed the adjusters all the way off and only then did I get things moving. I have not yet used the water method or anything else to get them completely free as the 350 is a work in progress but, at least now I can move it around in the yard.
Scott